Anxiety and fibromyalgia

Anxiety can occur with fibromyalgia as a result of other symptoms such as fatigue or chronic pain

Anxiety can be associated with fibromyalgia, although the underlying cause can be difficult to determine. The symptom could arise as a result of apprehension about chronic pain or be triggered by prolonged fatigue. In this page, our muscle and joint expert Earle Logan discusses the possible causes of anxiety in fibromyalgia and suggests a range of herbal and self-help solutions to soothe any lingering feelings of worry and dread.

Fibromyalgia is a complex condition resulting in both physical and emotional symptoms. Anxiety has been documented as one of the emotional symptoms of fibromyalgia. However, it is also thought that anxiety may arise because of worrying or growing concern over other symptoms of fibromyalgia, such as pain and fatigue.

Anxiety may be described as a strong feeling of worry or unease. It is often worsened by stressful activities and can lead to periods of mood swings. Often anxiety sufferers feel that something bad is going to happen, and worrying about what this may be can worsen symptoms.

The question sometimes asked is ‘Why does anxiety cause fibromyalgia?’ So far, research clearly shows a link between fibromyalgia and anxiety, but this link is not fully understood. While many assume anxiety is a symptom of fibromyalgia, others suggest it is the other way round. Theories and speculations about these two conditions abound, some of which may explain the connections.

As fibromyalgia is a largely unexplained condition, doctors struggle to give patients a clear understanding about their conditions or definite answers to the questions. It is for this reason that many fibromyalgia patients begin to worry about their symptoms as they begin to believe that there may be an underlying health concern.

However, it may also be that people who suffer from anxiety tend to have increased nerve responses to stimuli such as touch. This makes them hypersensitive to physical sensations such as pain. Additionally anxiety can cause muscle tension, resulting in tenderness and achiness.

Home remedies for anxiety are often quite personal and what works for one person may not necessarily help the next. Finding your own techniques for keeping relaxed is important. Some of the most common include:

Breathing – often the first step when you feel a surge of anxiety is to take a deep breath. This should fill your lungs and feed oxygen into the brain. Breathe in to a slow count of three, and out to a count of five to eight. Continue this deep breathing until you feel the panic ebb away

Exercise – whether it is a gentle stroll or something a bit more intense or more exotic, exercise is a great way of letting off a bit of steam and calming or ordering your thoughts. For fibromyalgia patients, swimming, Tai Chi and yoga are good forms of low-impact exercise that involve full limb extensions. These exercises are low impact and weight-bearing, so will not put excess stress on your muscles and joints

Bathing – a relaxing bath is a great way to take a bit of time out and forget your worries for a bit. A candlelit bath accompanied by a good book can make you feel like a new carefree person

Meditation – whether this involves yoga or just sitting down with some relaxing music and watching the world go by, meditation helps calm your thoughts and put everything back into perspective. Some people recommend meditating daily to help maintain your newly discovered inner calm

Laughter – laughter is not always the best medicine but often is. Whether it is watching something funny, or talking to an amusing friend who can help you see the bright side of things, laughter often perks you up again. Laughter produces the feel-good chemical, serotonin, into the bloodstream, reducing symptoms of anxiety, and may also improve symptoms of joint pain experienced with fibromyalgia, even if only temporarily.

There are several calming herbs, many of which can be taken as a short-term boost to help you through an anxious time, but also in the long-term to help you adopt a more relaxed approach to life.

Valerian is a herb with traditional use as a natural tranquiliser. It is thought that it acts by decreasing the activity of the nervous system. Fresh extracts of this herb can be found in Stress Relief Daytime, a licensed herbal remedy for reducing symptoms of anxiety and stress

Avena sativa, more commonly known as oats, has been used for hundreds of years as a nerve tonic. The vitamins and minerals contained in oats are recognised to be important in the proper functioning of the nervous system

There is a range of Jan de Vries flower essences which combines fresh extracts of different herbs to help moderate the psychological aspects of modern day life. For example, Relaxing Essence helps you to maintain a calm outlook while staying focussed on the task in hand. Emergency Essence helps to reinforce a positive frame of mind during a particularly trying or difficult experience.

If your symptoms of anxiety do not improve with home or herbal remedies or at any stage you notice a worsening of fibromyalgia or anxiety symptoms, it is important to speak to your doctor.

A doctor may prescribe sedatives or anti-depressants, to calm your anxious feelings. However, you should discuss the possible side-effects with him first, particularly if you are already taking other types of medication.

Alternatively, finding a means of managing the pain associated with fibromyalgia may help to reduce symptoms of anxiety. There are several types of painkillers available on prescription, and your doctor will discuss with you which treatment option will suit you best.

Some foods can increase inflammation and discomfort, whilst others can actually reduce it and relieve pain. Discover which foods you should eat fewer of (some might surprise you) and what you should eat more of instead, when suffering from muscle & joint pain.

Being side-lined by muscle or joint pain isn’t fun – especially if you lead a particularly busy or active lifestyle! Luckily our Muscles & Joints Advisor Earle Logan is here to provide you with regular updates, tips and advice on back pain, strains, joint pain and muscle pain.

Earle — 22.09.2017 06:20
Hello Tracy
I'm afraid we can't advise you on severe anxiety. That's one for your doctor.
Weak legs usually have an underlying mechanical cause related to the lower back and so a chiropractor or osteopath would be the first choice as nothing we sell can address that either.
However, we can advise on fibromyalgia.
Managing fibromyalgia is hard work, involved and rarely produces a miracle cure but there are a variety of small things to do that together can help a lot.
No-one really knows of a magic bullet for fibromyalgia, whatever you take or do but we would very much hope that engaging in measures such as low impact exercise, addressing sleep quality and dealing with the IBS that is common to fibromyalgia would at least minimise its impact. Getting to the root cause is difficult, as it isn't really agreed. It is believed that there is reduced blood supply to the part of the brain that processes pain and perhaps to the affected muscles too, so a herb such as Ginkgo Biloba could hold some promise. Remedies such as Dormeasan could help mood, pain threshold and energy levels by improving the quality of sleep and water-based exercise, Tai Chi or Yoga can aid circulation and maintain flexibility. A recent trial comparing swimming and paracetamol for lower back pain found the swimming outperform the medicine. There's no way that the drug would help mood, energy levels, sleep quality, joint mobility, self satisfaction and overall health at the same time as easing pain, so please consider moving more when you're able to, as the medicines will never cure the condition and encourage people to become inactive.
There is no drug cure, as you are probably aware and we know that those who retreat to inactivity see their symptoms worsen, so the best chances of recovery seem to be in those who find the determination to take action and keep active. Often the biggest barrier to doing so is that first 10 minutes, ie: getting changed and out the door, because depression can make it hard to find the motivation and pain makes the first few steps uncomfortable. You'll need to find a balance between the excessive exertion levels involved in moving heavy tables and doing nothing through fear of exhaustion and walking, yoga, Pliates or swimming tends to hit the spot about right for most, although I appreciate you're not in a good place even to walk at the moment.
The worst thing you can do is to simply stop as joints and muscles only stiffen up further.
I'd strongly advise arranging to see a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist to learn some pain management techniques. You can get 5x30 minute sessions for free on the NHS but that 2.5hrs total doesn't match the amount found in clinical trials to be of benefit, so contact a CBT practitioner for better results.
As to what the future holds, no-one knows of a cure but it's most likely true that the answer doesn't lie in a single pill or measure. CBT, addressing sleep issues, the right amount of exercise and a bit of bloody-mindedness are the most basic requirements and something most people who contact me with fibromyalgia haven't even begun to try. Trials have shown significant benefits for each of these (well, perhaps not the bloody-mindedness) separately in Fibromyalgia, so there's a fair chance a comprehensive approach will achieve much more.